Supports such as bipods, tripods, monopods, and aiming sticks have been used in conjunction with firearms, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, in order to stabilize the firearm and facilitate accurate aiming of the firearm. When used with a shotgun or rifle, supports are commonly mounted to the firearm at the underside of the forearm, or fore-end, of the stock. In some circumstances, supports may also be mounted to the barrel of a firearm.
Supports may be designed to remain attached to the firearm even when the supports are not in use, or they may be designed to be removed for storage. An example of a firearm with a bipod which remains attached to the forearm of the stock is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,992,339. That patent describes a firearm wherein the legs of the bipod extend downward from the stock when the bipod is in use. When the bipod is not in use, the bipod legs may pivot to an extended position approximately parallel to the barrel of the firearm. In this extended position, the bipod legs are aligned with channels in the forearm of the stock. The bipod legs may then be pushed into the channels in the forearm for storage. The bipod legs remain attached to the firearm during storage, and during the transition from storage to use and from use to storage.
Other examples of firearms with bipods which may be stored in the forearm of the stock are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,770,320, 4,776,124, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0307689. Each of these references describe bipods with legs which may pivot or rotate from a position in which the bipod legs extend downward from the stock, to an extended position in which the bipod legs are approximately parallel to the barrel and aligned with channels in the forearm of the stock. The bipod legs may then be inserted into the channels in the forearm for storage.